My Brother's Keeper
by Rensply
Summary: Mana wishes he didn't have to be the responsible one. Without him, though, Nea would be dead. Sometimes, however, Nea deserved whatever came his way.


**First new fanfic guys! It's a oneshot that ties into the DGM fic (Into the Valley of Death) verse, but I really enjoyed writing this! For information, Maria Cross is the sister of Marian Cross and eventually becomes the Grave of Maria.**

* * *

Over the years Mana found that silence was rare in the Campbell manor. There have been a number of odd sounds—the clanging of swords, screaming matches that spanned separate wings, and the occasional crash of an eighty-year-old vase being broken—but never gunfire.

Mana was an act and a half into _Macbeth_ when he was interrupted by several gunshots. He let out an annoyed sigh and glared at the font. _Nea_... he internally growled. As if on cue, his twin burst into the room and Mana could hear a familiar click as Nea locked the door. "What did you do this time?" Mana asked, not bothering to look up from his book.

"Why do you automatically assume it's _my_ fault?!" Nea demanded. Mana's only reply was to arch a brow. "You know what, forget it! But hide me." Mana finally shut his book and looked at his brother. Nea's hair was disheveled (more so than it usually was), his shirt was both unbuttoned an untucked, and his vest and ribbon were tightly clutched in his hand. Mana's amber eyes went wide as realization spread across his face.

"Oh, my God, Nea, you didn't…"

"I did," Nea admitted shakily.

"He's going to kill you!" Mana snapped.

"Why do you think I asked you to hide me?!" Mana let out an exasperated sigh and rose from the couch. He seized Nea by the ear and dragged him into the connected music room. "Ow, ow, ow!" Nea yelped, trying to fight against his brother's grip. Mana was much stronger than he was given credit for.

"What in God's holy name possessed you to sleep with Marian Cross's sister?!" Mana yelled, shoving his brother back onto the chaise. "If he doesn't kill you then _I_ will! What is wrong with you?!"

"Will you stop screaming at me for two seconds and let me explain?!" Nea retaliated, holding his now-sore ear.

"What is there to explain, Nea?! You were literally screwing around!"

"What happened to 'stop screaming at me'?" Nea demanded. "Plus, I told you to keep him distracted! You agreed!"

"I wouldn't if I had known that you two were going to sneak off and—and _shag_!"

Nea rolled his eyes. "What? Did you honestly think that we were just going to sit under that stupid tree and cuddle?"

"Under the _tree_ , Nea?!" Mana stared at his brother in horror. Nea knew how sacred Cornelia was to their family. Their mother had met their father there, they'd played on her branches as children, and Nea had—

"What? No, no!" Nea exclaimed, holding his hands in front of him. "We went to my room!" Mana shook his head and sat down next to his brother. "Just so you know, it's worth it," Nea said. Mana let out a noise of disgust.

"Shut _up_ , Nea." The two fell into an awkward silence that was soon broken by a series of furious knocks at the music room doors. Nea's face drained of any and all color and Mana turned to his younger brother, a wicked smile on his lips.

"No, Mana, don't you dare…" Nea pleaded as Mana rose from the chaise and started walking toward the door. "Mana Campbell do not open that door! Mana…" Nea's voice trailed off in what sounded like a despairing wail. Mana opened the door to reveal a fuming Marian Cross.

"All yours," the teen said with a sweeping gesture in Nea's direction. Cross arched a ginger brow at his friend.

"You're not going to try and defend him?"

Mana let out a short laugh. "Me?" he asked with theatrical incredulity, "The weakling of the Campbell family? An altercation with one such as yourself, Marian, would be terrible for my delicate constitution." Nea gaped at his older brother. Was this really happening? Was Mana truly _betraying_ him?

"'Delicate constitution' my ass!" Nea snapped. Mana shrugged and retreated back towards the library. "Mana? What are you doing? Where are you going?" Mana still said not a word as he turned his back on his brother and gave him a parting wave. "Hey, Mana! Ma—Mana!" Nea's voice rose in pitch the closer that Marian Cross walked to him. "MANA!"

* * *

It was another several hours before a bruised and battered Nea stumbled into Mana's bedroom. The fact that he was still breathing means that Maria must have intervened in some way.

"Have we learned our lesson?" Mana asked as Nea flopped down onto the mattress. Nea's reply was swallowed by the duvet and Mana let out a sigh. "What?" Nea lifted the upper half of his body with a cry of pain.

"Don't—ow—get caught," he muttered, his words strained.

"Nea, how many times have you two done this?" Mana feared the answer and he secretly hoped that this was only the first time that Nea had slept with Maria Cross. Nea shrugged and Mana let out an exasperated sigh.

"Well, in that case, name your kid after me." Nea shot up so quickly that he rolled off of the bed.

"Ow…" the younger Campbell muttered from the floor.

* * *

"What happened to you?" Allen arched a brow at his best friend who was covered in bruises, including a rather nasty black eye. Nea grumbled a reply under his breath and Mana took a sip of his tea before speaking for his brother.

"Well," Mana said and Allen turned to face the other twin, "Nea unfortunately got on the wrong side of Marian's wrath." Nea grumbled something under his breath again and Allen was pretty sure that it was a curse directed towards his brother.

Allen sighed. "Really, Nea, you've got to stop testing the limits of Marian's patience."

"Not acting like a brat helps too," Mana said with a smirk. Nea shot a glare at his brother and raised his middle finger in response. Mana replied with the same gesture and a mocking, open-mouthed grin. Allen shook his head. These brothers would be the death of him. If they weren't the death of each other first.

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 **Thanks for reading! I will be writing the actual fanfic for Nanowrimo this year!**

 **\- Ren**


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